Lions and other predators are being captured alive out of National Parks in some areas of Botswana (illegally) and moved towards South Africa and other countries to be hunted?
Did you know that these species are being monitored by poachers and followed until they can be captured and moved? Did you know that some of these species are being chased for Kilometres with a vehicle until they cannot run anymore and then either captured with a dart gun or by hand?

Do you know why this is happening?

Remember we discussed previously that there is a growing demand for Lion Bones and other Lion Parts to be utilised in countries all over? Well this is one example. Yes, WILD Lions, Cheetah’s and Leopard are captured to supply the demand. When will anything be save again?
So imagine you are lying at a pool and relaxing away from the HOT sun and all of a sudden somebody rushes towards you and chases you down. Tie your legs and arms together, covers you with a blanket over your head, put you in a car and then sedates you. Then you wake up in a place you have NO idea where you are and think you are free and start running until you hit a fence a few meters away.
Before you know it, you hear a car approaching and somebody gets out and points a gun at you.

How would you feel about this? This is happening in Africa people. We have a saying here at WFL that when a snake bites you on your foot the venom moves towards you heart of starts rotting at the sight and spreads. So would you not say that with this demand for Lions and their bones in South Africa the venom is starting to move upwards into more countries north from here?
Did you know that breeding places in Botswana is now also selling their excess Lions to South Africa so that they can start breeding again?
Wonder where these Lions will go, seeing as the demand is so high it does make one wonder.

Take a good look at these people in the picture. As they are only but a few people of the Department of Wildlife and National parks working so hard daily to fight this problem. It is a problem that has raised its head only a few years ago where one can actually see the consequences these days. So we would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to all of them for working so hard and putting their own lives in danger to protect their last remaining Lions.

A tigress was found dead today at the Corbett National Park in Nainital district. The tigress of nearly two-and-a-half-year-old was found near a waterbody by forest guards in Dhela range of the Corbett Tiger Reserve.The cause of the death of the big cat was yet to be ascertained, Karki said adding the post mortem report was still awaited. The marks of another tiger’s paws were found near the scene raising suspicion that it might have killed the tigress, he said.

Guarding our temples, adorning our flags, decorating our coins and capturing our hearts, the lion is beyond doubt the world’s most iconic species. On almost every continent, and in thousands of cultures, the lion can be found demonstrating man’s fascination with this magnificent beast. Despite the lions’ symbolic importance throughout the ages, today they are suffering from a silent extinction across Africa and India. Knowledge of the King of Beasts‘ plight is little known. World Lion Day, being held on 10th August 2013, is the first global campaign to celebrate the importance of the lion worldwide. Since the dawn of man the lion has played an integral role in our lives: symbolically, religiously, culturally, economically and biologically. To lose the lion from our world would be to lose part of our global heritage.

The African Lion

Nothing quite epitomizes the wildness of the ‘dark continent’ better than the African lion. For hundreds of years the lion has captivated visitors to this ancient land. Over millennia lions have been at the centre of African mythology and folklore across the continent, and today, continue to influence Africa on a monumental scale. A ruling member of the ‘Big 5‘, the lion is often the most sought after animal by tourists. Tens of millions of visitors are drawn to Africa every year by the allure of discovering the magnificent beast with the large black mane, bellowing his roar across the grassy plains.

The deep jungles of India are famed for their strange and wonderful beasts; the Bengal tiger, the pygmy elephant and the Indian rhino, but hidden in the small Gir Forest National Reserve of Gujarat State lives the little known Asiatic lion.

The Asiatic lion has quite distinct physical characteristics such as prominent tufts of hair on their elbows and at the end of their tails. What is most notable is their size in comparison to the African lion. Asiatic lions are significantly smaller than African lions and the males often have smaller, sparser manes. Such features were once thought to have derived from thousands of years of evolution however recent studies have suggested intense inbreeding over recent generations has resulted in such characteristics.

Right now the Asiatic lion story looks like it’s a success. But lurking in the wings are problems of man-animal conflict and industrial intrusion including mining. Nevertheless, the Gujarat Forest Department has done a remarkable protection job and as a result Panthera leo persica is doing well for now with the cats roaming across a 10,000 sq. km. range in the Greater Gir Landscape.